Marley visits Parliament to discuss Cannabis legalisation

Damian “Jr Gong” Marley, Professor Green, Norman Lamb MP, Dr Frank and activist Kate Rothwell addressed the need for the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use in the UK

28/06/2018 10:24 AM

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ADVOCATE: Damian Marley

DAMIAN MARLEY, Professor Green plus more visited Houses of Parliament to discuss the legalisation of Cannabis.

Held at Portcullis House on Wednesday (June 27), the symposium took place ahead of the second reading of the debate on the proposed bill of legalisation of Cannabis (Medicinal Purposes) in the House of Commons scheduled for July 6th.

In light of Sajid Javid’s intervention last week, granting permission for two mothers to legally use cannabis to treat their children in the UK and launching a review into medical uses of cannabis, the symposium of experts deliberated the benefits of cannabis-based medicine and called for change in the legal status of the drug for medicinal use in the UK.

Marley is an advocate of the medical benefits of cannabis. In 2016, he partnered with Ocean Grown Extracts to buy a former prison in California, the Claremont Custody Centre, to turn it into a farm producing cannabis oils, extracts and other products for medicinal use.

The music video for Damian’s recently released single Medication, which features his brother Stephen Marley, was shot in the former prison and stars former inmates and includes testimonials from people who’ve been helped by the plant including as US Marine Crops Sergeant Sean Major who uses cannabis for brain trauma and PTSD.

Representing the political establishment Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk and chair of the Science and Technology Select Committee, called on Theresa May to legalise cannabis – particularly in the wake of recent news stories about how children like Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell, who suffer from seizures, could benefit from using cannabis-based medicine.

Norman Lamb MP spoke on the significance of recent cases, the importance of medicinal legalisation and the potential for full legalisation: “I’ve always said that you have to get medicinal use legalised first, and I think last week was a very significant moment because it was the first time a government has reacted by saying: ‘We’re reviewing it.’

"That’s not nearly enough, and we need to keep pushing them constantly to go the whole way, but that was a big breakthrough for this government to do that, and it was because children’s lives were seen to be at risk. They thought: ‘There’s political embarrassment here.’ If we can get medicinal use legalised, just as has happened now in the majority of US states, then you can have a rational debate about full legalisation, which I strongly support.”

UK Rapper, documentary maker and activist Professor Green (AKA Stephen Manderson) brought his passion and insight to the panel following his critically acclaimed BBC documentary on the subject, Is It Time to Legalise Weed?

Professor Green spoke on British attitudes to cannabis: “I think it’s a generational thing, to be honest, and I don’t think we have a very liberal attitude to much. What happens with that is you have a lack of education because things aren’t spoken about.

"We’re less liberal when it comes to many things when you compare us to other parts of the world, and what we get from that is many more problems. It doesn’t help anything, all it does it cause more problems. If something’s underground, it’s not spoken about. It’s all the scare-mongering in the media. How many times do you see ‘cannabis psychosis’ in the newspapers?”

Dr Frank D’Ambrosio delivered his expertise to the debate. As one of the USA’s leading voices for medicinal cannabis policy reform his knowledge of how successful medical marijuana has been in the US proved invaluable.

Dr Frank spoke on California's experience with legalisation: “California is doing just fine. I don’t think anybody needs to worry about California. We’ve had medical cannabis legalised since 1996, we passed the Compassionate Use Act, Proposition 15, Senate Bill 420. So for 20 years we’ve had patients getting access to medicine.

"Although the underground market still existed, people were using the dispensaries and they were able to get their medicine. Two years ago we voted for legalisation for the recreational end. Recreational only means intent. Just because you’re intending to use the cannabis to achieve the psychoactive effect of the THC, doesn’t mean you’re not still getting the benefits. Even though it’s called ‘recreational’, you’re still getting the medical benefits.”

Kate Rothwell, who started this petition via Change.org provided both a personal story and more systemic ask, calling for legalisation for medical use in the UK, and for it to be available on the NHS. Inspired by the experience of her 11-year-old cousin, Oliver, who has severe epilepsy that is alleviated by cannabis oil, she highlighted the predicament faced by many parents where doctors are forced to withdraw medical help on the NHS if patients are using cannabis oil. Leaving families having to choose between medical care or an increase in seizures.

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Posted on: 28/06/2018 10:24 AM

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